Just give me a reason
by Lalalupin
Summary: "He had once told her that he would always try to save her, but after he abandoned her for six months, could she really trust him to do that?" Lisbon becomes Red John's latest target. With mysterious notes and the whole team under threat, Jane struggles to protect those closest to him. Jane/Lisbon.
1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**** I have never written a Mentalist fic before, so I was pretty nervous about starting this one, we'll see how it goes. I love to hear your thoughts, so please give me some pointers, and tell me what you think. Thanks for taking the time to check this out. **

**This fic was inspired by the song "Just Give Me a Reason", sung by P!NK and Nate Ruess. **

**Disclaimer: ****If I helped create The Mentalist, I would be best friends with Simon Baker, Robin Tunney, Owain Yeoman, Amanda Righetti and Tim Kang. Last time I checked, they don't know I exist. **

**Just Give Me a Reason  
Chapter One**

She woke up with a shroud of fog covering her thoughts, but Teresa Lisbon had no idea where she was, or how she had gotten there. She tentatively opened her eyes, and was surprised to find herself in her SUV. She raised her hand to brush the hair from her face, and almost screamed in fear. On her wrist, etched into her skin, a bloody red smiling face leered back at her.

* * *

Patrick Jane was holed up in his attic for the evening, going over his usual night-time activities surrounding Red John. He'd come up here as soon as the case had finished, just like he did when any case closed, and it had become a sort of ritual. He considered going downstairs to check on Lisbon. Things were still awkward between them since he had returned from going rogue in Vegas over 6 months ago. Those burned bridges were ones he was desperate to fix, but had no idea how to. He had denied remembering telling her he loved her before shooting her for god's sake.

Sick of being a coward, he stood up and stretched, then proceeded downstairs to her office.

He didn't know whether to be worried or relieved when he noticed the bullpen was empty, along with Lisbon's office, and he didn't react instantly to the danger she could've been in by not being in the building. At that moment, his phone rung, and he was relieved to see Lisbon's face and number come up on the screen.

"Lisbon, where the hell are you?" he snapped.

"_Jane, can you come and get me?"_ her voice wavered in what sounded like fear.

He instantly regretted speaking to her like that when he heard her voice. The only time he'd heard her anywhere near as scared as what she sounded was when she had a bomb strapped to her. If he had someone to pray to, he would pray like hell that she wasn't in a situation like that again.

"Where are you?" he asked again, softly this time.

She was quiet on the other end for quite a while. _"I don't know, Jane,"_ Lisbon finally replied.

"What's happened?" he tried asking her.

"_I remember closing the case,"_ she said slowly. _"But nothing after that,"_

They had closed the case over 5 hours ago; a little town in the middle of nowhere that had been plagued by a serial killer. Lisbon could've been anywhere. "Shit," he managed to say.

"_I'm sorry Jane,"_ she said instantly. _"I've definitely ruined your plans for tonight."_

He smirked. "Don't worry about it Lisbon. We just need to get you here safely."

"_Has everyone else gone home?"_ she asked.

"Yeah," he replied, looking at the empty bullpen.

She swore loudly. _"If I talk you through it, can you trace my phone?" _

"Of course," he replied, marvelling at her strength, and how the fear in her voice that was evident only minutes ago wasn't present anymore. He walked into her office, turned on the desk lamp and logged into her computer-using her login, not his, of course.

Several minutes later, Jane managed to trace the call, and felt slightly proud of it, despite the situation they were in. "That's odd," he said.

"_What is?"_

"You're in Malibu," he replied. "Near my old house."

"_Jane,"_ she said slowly. _"I can find another way to get home; you don't need to come all the way out here to get me" _she told him.

He shook his head. "No, no. That's not fair on you. Just don't go anywhere, Ok?"

"_That's going to be slightly difficult, with the SUV not working. I think the battery's dead or something,"_ she told him.

He chuckled. "I'll see you soon, Lisbon. Don't worry too much."

"_I'm not worrying, Jane,"_ she snapped.

It was a lie that he saw right through. She sounded terrified, and he wanted to know why.

* * *

It was an instinct, that she'd called Jane first. She trusted him most out of the team, and she knew that if Red John was involved, he would want to be the first to know. She just hoped it was the right decision.

Lisbon knew that it would take several hours for Jane to get to her, and the thing she feared for most was her sanity. She also knew it was smart not to tell him about Red John's 'message'over the phone; the one thing worse than Jane driving in that tiny tin car of his was Jane driving like a maniac in the tiny tin car. The first thing she had done when she woke up was check for her gun, and also found her penlight. The artificial light was a relief after looking at the ever nearing darkness outside.

The CBI agent tried starting her vehicle again, but it stalled, and she realised she must have made it worse in attempts to make it better. She slammed her hand on the steering wheel, and quickly tugged her sleeves down again, not wanting to see the face that had been carved into the skin of her left wrist. The pain was one of the first things she noticed after the initial shock of waking up having no recollection of where she was. Lisbon was thankful that she had her blazer; the long sleeves covering up the now permanent reminder of what she had risked to catch the serial killer.

She focussed her attention on the sinking sun, wishing circumstances were different so she would've been able to appreciate and marvel the beauty of the setting in front of her.

The sun had bathed her surroundings in a soft golden glow, and cast long shadows along the ground. The ocean was flat, glasslike, the last of the sun's rays reflecting off its surface. She took a moment to appreciate the tranquillity of her surroundings, but was brought back to the reality, and perhaps the danger, of the situation she was in with another wave of pain from her wrist. She flexed it, grimacing.

The usual calm and collected CBI agent Teresa Lisbon was on the verge of a nervous breakdown. The pain in her head caused her to believe that she had been drugged hours before, perhaps on the way back from closing the case. She just hoped this time she wouldn't be framed for a murder she didn't commit.

But perhaps asking Jane to hypnotise her again wouldn't be a bad idea.

Exhausted, she climbed into the back of the SUV, and pulled her knees up and rested her chin on them, looking out the side window into the darkness. She thanked God that she hadn't been harmed more, and she prayed that Jane would get to her soon. But then again, he had once told her that he would always try to save her, but after he abandoned her for six months, could she really trust him to do that? Grateful that she was tired, Lisbon let her eyelids droop, and within moments she fell into a fitful sleep.

* * *

Jane had left Sacramento just after 9:00 that evening, and with every passing minute, every mile passed, he got even more anxious. How the hell had she ended up on the outskirts of Malibu? Gritting his teeth, Jane put his foot on the accelerator, coaxing his beloved Citroën to go faster.

Again, he found himself wanting someone to pray to, someone that would assure him Lisbon was safe and unharmed. Teresa Lisbon had a very strong and seemingly impenetrable façade, and it had taken him almost a decade to work past it, and see the woman hiding behind it. It had taken a lot of his skill and patience, and on the other side he realised he may have done something that he didn't think was possible; he may have fallen in love with the woman in the process.

Jane flexed his hands restlessly on the steering wheel. His feelings for Lisbon were something he didn't admit to himself, let alone Lisbon, which was something he had managed to do in his latest ruse to catch Red John.

There were two things he was thankful for at that moment; his insomnia, allowing him to drive several hours in the middle of the night without getting two tired; and the fact that there wasn't too much traffic heading out of Sacramento at 11:00 at night. Hopefully he would be able to cut his travel time substantially. Perhaps even break some record no-one had ever heard of in the process. Despite himself, he chuckled slightly at the thought.

* * *

It was past 2:00 in the morning when Jane began to drive up the steep cliff road that basically no-one knew about; the exact coordinates of Lisbon's cell-phone apparently at the top. He hoped.

A few minutes later, Jane drove the Citroën up next to Lisbon's SUV.

"Lisbon!" he called, getting out of his car. The passengers door facing Jane opened, and he breathed a sigh of relief, seeing her basically unharmed. He pulled her into a hug, holding her close.

"I'm so glad you're ok," he whispered into her ear.

She struggled against him. "No, Jane, let go of me!" she pleaded.

"What's wrong Lisbon?" he asked, complying to her request. He bent his knees so he could see into her green eyes, which were still filled with fear.

Wordlessly, she lifted the left sleeve of her blazer up. "He's marked me, Jane!" she said anxiously.

There, on her wrist, the blood red mark of the man who had killed his family smiled mockingly up at him.

**End of Chapter 1  
****A/N: ****Thanks so much for reading. Depending on how things go, next chapter should be up soon. **


	2. Chapter 2

**Author's Note: Wow. Can I just say I was overwhelmed by the amount of support this story got for the first chapter? I would've been happy with one or two reviews, so thank you to all the reviewers. Everyone's support means so much to me, and I was so excited that readers were wanting to read more. So thanks so much guys, and I hope you enjoy this next chapter!**

**Disclaimer: Nope. Still not friends with any of them **

**Chapter 2**

Lisbon didn't know how Jane was going to react when he saw what Red John had done to her. In a few seconds, a range of emotions had run across his face; one moment he looked like he wanted to jump of the nearest cliff, which was just a few short metres away; and the next moment he looked at her sorrowfully, like he blamed himself for what had happened.

What she didn't expect was for him to pull her into his arms again, embracing her tightly.  
"I'm so sorry, Lisbon," he whispered painfully. "This is all my fault,"

So she was correct about the latter. Lisbon impulsively held him tighter back. "Jane," she said firmly. "It was _my_ decision to get so involved with the Red John case, not yours,"

He breathed through his nose. "But it's my fault that I got so close to you," he countered with.

"That's not your fault either Jane," she said softly, pleading silently that he wouldn't do anything stupid. "We've been working together almost ten years. It was inevitable that we would eventually become friends,"

He held her at arm's length, and she found herself quietly disappointed that they weren't as close physically. "In that case, you do realise I'm going to be obsessing over the Red John case until he's dead, right?"

She shook her head. "No, Jane, please," she looked up at him. "Don't do this to yourself. We both knew that there was a chance he would target me eventually, Ok?"

"Yeah," he said nodding. "But what are we going to do?" Jane asked.

Lisbon's heart wrenched slightly at the pain written on his face. "I don't know, Jane," she said quietly.

"Well, whatever happens, nothing's going to happen to you. I wouldn't be able to live with myself if something did,"

Despite the situation they were in, she felt a small smile tugging at the corners of her mouth. _This_ was why she had called Patrick Jane first; he may have been a pain in the ass, but he was loyal, and one of her closest friends. And perhaps there were other things she felt that she wasn't ready to admit to even herself yet.

The pain from her wrist once again brought her back to reality. She winced slightly.

"It hurts, doesn't it?" he asked softly.

She was going to lie. This was Patrick Jane though, and to him she was basically transparent. "Yes," she nodded.

His brow furrowed and he looked out to sea.

"Jane," she started slowly. "It's 2:00 in the morning. Do you want me to drive us back to Sacramento?" it meant driving the little tin car, but her consultant looked like he needed a rest.

He looked at the dark haired agent. "I don't expect you to drive several hours to get home so we can sleep, Teresa," Jane replied. "We can just sleep in the back of your car. God knows, we both need it, so I'm sure we can make it work."

She looked up at him. "You're staying?" she asked. "Even though he's marked me, you aren't going to run away?"

He grimaced, and flinched slightly at the words. "I'm not leaving you here alone, Lisbon," he replied.

She nodded, relieved. "Thank you, Jane," she said.

"Go get some rest," he said with a small smile. His arms slid off her shoulders, and he gripped her hands for a few moments, almost reassuring himself that she was actually there, alive, with him.

He let go reluctantly, and walked back to his car. Her pulse had gone up when he held her hands. Perhaps the feeling of attraction was mutual?

"Jane, what're you doing? She asked.

"Just seeing if I have anything to keep us warm. It's damn cold, Lisbon," he replied.

Jane felt terrible that Lisbon still didn't seem to trust him anymore, but he was going to prove that he would always be there for her.

He'd found a couple of blankets in the dark and dusty corners of the trunk. They were nothing special, but they would do the job. Jane walked back to the SUV, and climbed into the back through the door Lisbon had left open. She had already flipped the seats down for more room, and was curled up in the far side of the vehicle. He smiled slightly to himself, realising how vulnerable and small this remarkable woman really was.

He laid one of the blankets over her, then folded his one up so he could rest his head on it. Jane lay down next to her; close enough that they were almost touching, but not too close.

Lisbon stirred, and she turned over to face him. She was clutching the blanket close to her and it didn't occur to him that she might be cold. He closed the door, and wrapped her up in his blanket. "Better?" he asked her softly.

She nodded. "Thank you, Jane," she whispered.

"Now go to sleep," he rested a hand on the back of her head, pulling her close enough so he could kiss her forehead lightly. She closed her eyes at his touch, his hand in her hair lingering a little too long. She rested her head on the seats of the car, and Jane could tell by her breathing that she had fallen asleep within minutes.

* * *

He woke later to Lisbon mumbling in her sleep. In was still dark outside the SUV, so he couldn't have been sleeping long. Concerned, he checked on his boss, who seemed to be experiencing a bad dream.

"Lisbon," he said, tapping her shoulder lightly.

"No, don't get him," she mumbled.

"Lisbon," he said again, a little louder this time.

"Mmm, no!" she almost yelled.

He pulled her closer. "Teresa,"

Her eyes snapped open, and she assessed her surroundings before looking at Jane. "Oh, thank God!" she cried out, throwing her arms around his neck. He held her tightly, knowing how horrible it was to wake up from similar nightmares.

"Sssh, Lisbon don't worry, it was just a dream," he whispered. "It's not real, Teresa. Try go back to sleep," he loosened his hold on her, intending on giving her some space.

"Please stay," she whimpered, clutching onto her shirt.

He looked down and caught a glimpse of the red mark on her wrist. That was why they were here, why she was so terrified; a side to Lisbon he had never seen before. He readjusted his arms around her, so one was wrapped around her shoulders and the other hung loosely around her waist. The consultant leant into her hair, inhaling the soft smell of cinnamon that he had long ago begun to associate with Lisbon. "I'm not going anywhere, Lisbon," he muttered.

In response, she curled in closer to him, and for the first time in almost ten years, Jane fell asleep instantly.

* * *

Neither of them had expected to get more than a few hours' sleep in the back of the car, so Jane was surprised, both at the fact of waking up to a very bright new day, and having his boss curled up in his side, still fast asleep. Trying not to move too much, he checked the time on his phone, and almost laughed. It was past 9:00 in the morning; he couldn't remember when he'd last had a sleep that good.

A few minutes later, Lisbon began to stir in his arms. She looked up at him, and smiled almost shyly.

"Good morning," he said to her, smiling back.

"Morning Jane," she said, head still pillowed on his arm. Then, just as she realised who she was sleeping next to, she sat up, and put some distance between them. His eyes continued to watch her.

"Now, about that dream…" he begun.

"It was nothing Jane, really," she replied.

"Tell me what happened," he asked her softly.

She shook her head. "I was just overreacting,"

Jane moved closer to her. "It was about Red John, wasn't it?"

Lisbon nodded. "I couldn't get to you in time," she whispered hoarsely.

"I know those dreams Lisbon. I've been experiencing them for years. You don't need to feel ashamed for feeling afraid," he said, his hand brushing against hers lightly.

She nodded. "Ok," Lisbon looked up at him. "Thank you, Jane," she said with a small smile.

"Anytime," he replied sincerely.

* * *

Within the hour, Jane had called a tow truck to collect Lisbon's SUV and they were ready to drive back to Sacramento in his Citroën-much to her dismay.

Hands in her pockets, Lisbon made her way to the passenger's side of the vehicle. Her eyes widened, and she brought her left hand out of the blazer.

"We really need to get your wrist checked," Jane said, noticing the action.

She shook her head, eyes still on her hand. "It's not that," she murmured.

Lisbon opened her hand for him, and gave him a slip of paper. He looked at her quizzically, then unfolded the piece of paper, wanting to throw it over the cliff as soon as he had done so.

_Whether you like it or not, you are still part of my game, Patrick.  
You're lucky she's still alive. _

The note was signed off with a blood red face, identical to that on Teresa Lisbon's wrist.

**End of Chapter 2**

**A/N: Thanks for reading :P Please tell me your thoughts!**


	3. Chapter 3

**Author's Note: Thanks so much for your support, my wonderful readers. If you were all local, you would all have a cookie from me by now. But seriously, you guys are awesome. I'm not too sure about this chapter, but I hope you enjoy it nonetheless :3 thanks for reading!**

**Disclaimer: As much as I would like to, I still don't own even part of The Mentalist**

**Chapter 3**

"Stop the tow truck" Jane said, eyes still roaming over the note.

Lisbon remained standing there, looking at him quizzically. "Why?" she knew not to question Jane's hunches, but just this once, he seemed to be overreacting too much.

He waved the note in front of her face, the bloody red face making her flinch ever so slightly, but enough for Jane to notice. "We can't trust anyone Lisbon," he said through clenched teeth, turning his back to the tow truck and its driver.

"What're we going to do then, Jane?" she asked sceptically. "We're in Malibu, for God's sake, we're both tired, and I still need to call the team," her eyes flicked over to the driver, who looked nothing out of the ordinary. Lisbon had to remind herself that appearances weren't always what they seemed. The man was still waiting for them. She looked back at Jane. Her eyes narrowed, and the grimace she received let her know that he knew what she was going to say. "You had a feeling something like this was going to happen, didn't you?" she asked him. "That's one of the reasons we stayed in the SUV," her second sentence wasn't a question, rather a statement that she was sure of.

He nodded subtly. "I didn't want to worry you," the look in his eyes told Lisbon he was being genuine.

She pouted, considering voicing her annoyance, but then remembered that she had just spent the night in his arms, and as much as she didn't want to admit it, had secretly enjoyed it. She was also secretly relieved that the old Patrick Jane, the one she had known before he had left the CBI, left _her_, to pursue Red John in Las Vegas, seemed to be showing once more. Instead, she settled on folding her arms, confident that he would read her body language. "Why'd you let me call the tow truck then, Jane?" she asked warily.

He shrugged. "Had to prove my theory," he replied.

Lisbon shook her head. "What're we going to do then?" she asked him again.

He leant in close, lips almost brushing her ear. "We tell him that we've changed our minds," he whispered.

She nodded, finally understanding. If this man worked for Red John, she doubted they would be allowed to leave with her vehicle. "Go talk to him,"

Jane looked taken aback. "Me? Why?" he asked.

She shrugged. "Your idea," she told him. "And I have to call the team," she said, head cocking to one side, smiling slightly. He nodded, and turned to walk toward the man. Before he got too far, Lisbon held his forearm lightly. "Be careful,"

He looked down at her, smiling. "Ah, Lisbon. When am I not?" he asked, putting his hand on top of hers, squeezing it lightly before leaving her at the passenger's side of the Citroën.

She leant against the car, scrubbing a hand over her face. These feelings she was experiencing were irrational. As a way to get rid of them, she shook her head, and pulled out her cell phone, deciding on calling Cho. He answered after the phone rung twice.

"_This is agent Cho,"_ the stoic man said.

"Cho," she breathed, happy to hear his voice. "Listen, Jane and I might need your help," she begun.

Lisbon heard rustling papers, a sign he was looking for something on his desk. _"You're in Malibu, right?"_ he asked simply.

"Yeah," she answered. "How'd you know?"

"_Jane left a note, boss,_" her second in command replied.

"Ah," she looked over at Jane, confirming he was okay. She lowered her voice. "Well, my cars busted, and Jane doesn't trust the driver. I would be happy to have it towed, but since it's now probably evidence in the Red John investigation, Jane wants to find a different way to go about things,"

Cho was silent for a few moments. _"We'll be there in a few hours. An old friend of Rigsby's is an technician. Rigsby says he trusts the man entirely, so we'll bring him along too,"_

Lisbon considered protesting. Rigsby's last 'friend' had ended up being a murderer, lying to him and her team. She then remembered that she was in Malibu, and saw no other way out of their situation. "Ok, see you soon,"

The man hung up without another word.

Lisbon replaced her phone back in her pocket, and walked over to Jane. "Everything okay?" she asked with a smile.

The tow trucker smiled at her, and she realised he looked vaguely familiar. Almost from a dream… "Everything's fine, ma'am," the man said. "Your boyfriend was just telling me that you don't need my services anymore," he had a thick accent, though she couldn't place from where.

She stole a sideways glance at Jane, but didn't bother correcting the physically larger trucker. Knowing her consultant, it was probably a cover story in order for him to get something he wanted. Jane noticed her looking, and slung an arm around her shoulders, pulling her in close. Yes, she thought. Definitely a cover story. Unless he was drunk again… "I'm so sorry for wasting your time, Jason," the blonde man said to the truck owner. "Teresa here is very stubborn, and she would much rather find a way to fix her car herself," he said affectionately.

Jason was a few inches taller than Rigsby would've been. He had obviously spent a lot of his life in the sun; his skin was olive, leathery. He had close cropped, dark hair, and a persona that told Jane he had probably spent a lot of his time in the army or navy. Somewhere that was heavy on discipline and consequences.

Lisbon still couldn't place why the man looked so familiar, and moved closer to Jane, who tightened his hold on her. The man-Jason, he seemed so _ordinary_, and she couldn't place why she felt so threatened by his presence.

Jason smiled, showing a full set of perfectly cared for teeth. "I guess I'll be off then," he said, turning to his truck.

"We're so sorry to trouble you like this," Jane said with a sheepish smile.

The man waved off his apology, and set Lisbon's car back on the ground. "I might see you two around," he said with a cheerful smile as he drove off.

To Lisbon it sounded like a threat, not a parting message.

When Jane was sure the man was a safe distance away, he released his hold on Lisbon.

"So, what do you think?" she asked him.

"Tell me what you think first," he said imperatively.

His tone, so unfamiliar to her, made her answer instantly. "I dunno what it was Jane," she muttered. "He just seemed…. familiar. I couldn't put my mind on it though,"

He looked her in the eye, concerned. "Familiar, how?" he pressed.

She shrugged. "I _don't know_ Jane," she told him again. "Just a feeling," she dropped her eyes, focussing on the ground instead.

"I didn't like him," Jane continued.

"You think he works for Red John?" she asked him.

He tilted his head from side to side, undecided on his cold reading of the man. "Not sure. He's definitely a threat though,"

"Why'd he go then?" she said quietly.

He put a firm, reassuring hand on her shoulder again. "Don't worry about it, Lisbon. I doubt it can be anything good, or I'm getting bad at cold readings,"

She looked up at him, smiling slightly. "Too bad this is a CBI issue vehicle. I don't have as many guns in there as I do in my car," she said.

He chuckled. "Meh. We'll sort something out. If Jason _was_ sent by Red John, he probably won't come back straight away," he looked out toward the sea. "We have a few hours to kill."

Lisbon shook her head. "I was kidnapped by Red John last night, and all you can comment on is how many hours we have before they come back? You're unbelievable, Patrick Jane," she said.

He shrugged, grinning. "You are who you are," he said, somewhat poetically. His smile then disappeared, and he touched her wrist tentatively, only to have her pull back. Instead, he grabbed her hand. "Are you okay, Lisbon?" he asked her quietly.

She stared wide eyed into his eyes, before averting her gaze, looking instead at her shoes. "Yeah," she managed. "I'll be fine,"

He didn't seem satisfied. "We'll talk about it later then, okay?"

She nodded. "I called Cho," she said, deliberately changing the subject. "He said you left a note on his desk," she said with a smile. "Thanks, Jane,"

He couldn't help but smile back. "No problem, boss," he said with a grin. "What else did Cho have to say?"

"He says he'll be up here with Van Pelt and Rigsby in a few hours. Rigsby's old friend's coming too, to fix my car," she said.

He nodded. "And Rigsby trusts this man?" he asked

"Entirely."

"Good."

* * *

They had opted for spreading the blankets she had slept in on the grass, lying in the sun. What Lisbon didn't expect was to fall asleep, only to be woken by an approaching vehicle. She sat up instantly, nudging Jane, who had been sleeping too. "I think the team's here," she said.

He nodded, rubbing his eyes. "Okay," he mumbled sleepily. It was mid-afternoon, and he had been positively enjoying that nap. His eyes widened when he saw the car, and didn't recognise it. "Lisbon," he said quietly. "I don't think that's their car,"

She turned to look as well. "Shit," she muttered. It seemed Jane had been right about their tow trucking friend. Lisbon slowly stretched to a crouched position, so she was still invisible in front of the cars. She glanced at her car, mentally calculating the distance. If she ran, she had a chance of getting her gun out of the glove box. "Stay here," she whispered to Jane, who finally agreed to listen to one of her orders.

She started slowly, creeping quietly to the front of her car, before dashing around the side and opening the passenger's door. She threw the glove box open, said a quick prayer that her and Jane were going to get out of this alive as her fingers closed around the cold steel of the gun. She exhaled slowly, and climbed carefully out of the SUV, assessing her surroundings as she did so.

The vehicle, a small, red car that was nothing special had parked at the top of the drive, just a few metres away. Lisbon raised an eyebrow. She was completely in view of the man, and yet he did nothing. She heard pounding footsteps behind her, saw Jane _running_ of all things. "Lisbon, get down!" he yelled, tackling her to the ground. It was then she noticed the snipers rifle set on the bed of the trailer, protruding above the roof of the vehicle. The man opened the door slowly, and Lisbon knew that was her only chance to get him.

It was only then she noticed the lightness of the gun she was about to use, and she guessed she had only one bullet left. Well, she thought, rising to a position that she could shoot better from. Here goes nothing…

She pulled the trigger, and the bullet found its target. The man fell, and she rushed over to him.

Unfortunately, the bullet hadn't killed him, and was lodged in his leg. Sure enough, it was Jason. She pressed her foot down on the man's injured leg, causing him to stifle a moan of pain. "Well?" she said. "Who sent you?"

He grinned. "I think you know the answer to that, Teresa. Red John sends his regards. Although he's proud of the work I did on you," he said, pointing to the agent's wrist, "he really wishes he could've done it himself."

**A/N: Sorry about the cliffhanger. I couldn't resist ;D I really hope you enjoyed this chapter, please tell me what you think! Reviews are appreciated :P Next chapter up soon! **


	4. Chapter 4

**Author's Note: I am so, so sorry that it's taken me a couple of weeks to update. School's been really busy, and I just haven't had time to write. It would've been up earlier this week, but it was my birthday :P and I had a school dinner as well. I probably shouldn't have been writing even today, but you guys deserved the update. Really hope you guys are still with me on this! **

**Disclaimer: Unfortunately, I didn't get a letter from Bruno Heller for my birthday, signing the rights of The Mentalist over to me. **

**Chapter 4**

Lisbon almost stumbled away in shock, but Jane's approaching voice brought her back to her senses. This man had kidnapped her… he was the one who had marked her. Jason, though now positive that this wasn't his real name, was still grinning maliciously up at her, causing Lisbon to turn away.

"Lisbon!" Jane called out, walking cautiously up to her. She breathed a sigh of relief. He was okay. They were both okay, even if it was just for a while. "What happened?" he asked.

"Ask him," she said, tilting her head toward the man she still had pinned down.

Jane's gaze hardened as he instantly recognised the man. He tugged at Lisbon's sleeve, pulling her off the man, and standing in her place, treading meticulously on Jason's bullet wound. Jane knew already what this man had done. He deserved to hurt just how he had hurt Lisbon. Jason cried out in pain. "Who is he?" Jane growled.

The man chuckled. "You really think I'm going to give him up that easy, Patrick?" he asked. "Lorelei already tried to offer you his help, but you refused. You won't be getting an offer like that again, unfortunately."

"How, then?" he asked instantly.

Jason's eyes flicked over to Lisbon. "You wanna protect your girlfriend or avenge your dead wife?" he asked, his grin never faltering. "Because if you let me go, I _will_ take you to him."

Jane met Lisbon's eyes and she shook her head ever so slightly. It was too risky. She felt selfish, but she couldn't bear to lose him again.

She was surprised when he gave her a tiny nod. He understood. It wasn't the right time. He hung his head slightly, before turning it to glare into Red John's disciple's eyes. "Do you really think I'm that desperate?" he asked, shaking his head. "Even if I agreed to let you go," he looked over to Lisbon. "_she_ is the cop; she's the one who would stop both of us."

"I _know_ who she is, Patrick. And _he_ does too," Jason added for emphasis.

"Shut the hell up, Jason," Lisbon voiced.

He winced, the wound still throbbing painfully, but grinned in the detective's direction. "Not my real name," he said in a sing-song voice.

"Of course it isn't,"

"Name's Martin Evans," he said.

"Evans," Jane repeated. "That means…"

"I'm related to Lorelei?" Jason, or Martin as he was now known, raised his heavy arms and clapped his hands. "Congratulations, Patrick. Red John didn't just help her. He helped _me_ as well," he looked up at Jane. "You were too arrogant to not accept his help."

Jane rolled his eyes. "Why the _hell_ would I join the man who murdered my family?" he asked incredulously.

Martin shrugged "Who knows? Wasn't it your fault in the first place that he killed your family? I mean, who's dumb enough to mock _him_ on national television?" he asked.

Lisbon strode over to Jane and put a hand on his arm. This man was obviously sent here to taunt Jane, and she wouldn't let him fall down to Martin's level.

She'd had enough trouble from the Evans' as it was.

Jane looked at her, and she tightened her hold on him. The look in his eyes told her that he was about to break.

"Jane," she pleaded quietly. "Don't,"

He nodded, and turned away from Martin.

"He will get her, Patrick!" Martin called from the ground. "Just like he got your family, he'll get agent Lisbon."

"Come on," Lisbon said, pulling him in front of the cars. She sat him down on the blanket on the ground. "Stay here," she said.

"Where are you going?" he asked.

"To cuff Evans," she said. "I've had enough of that son of a bitch, and he might break eventually."

He shook his head. "I doubt it," he said with a sad smile. "But you do have reason to arrest him."

"Stay here," she said again. "Please," she added.

He nodded. "Okay."

As Lisbon walked over to Martin, another set of headlights rose over the road. She shielded her eyes from the setting sun, and before the vehicle had even stopped, Van Pelt and Rigsby jumped out. She breathed a sigh of relief, and even accepted the younger female agent's hug.  
"We're so glad you're okay, boss," she said.

She shrugged. "Me too, I guess." Lisbon kept her sleeves down. It wasn't the right time to tell her team that Red John had officially targeted her. She could already predict their reactions though. It wasn't going to be pretty. She gestured to the man lying on the ground behind her. "We caught another one," she said.

They looked to where she pointed, surprised at the fact they only just noticed him. "Who is he?" Rigsby asked.

"Martin Evans. Lorelei's cousin. He works for Red John too," she replied, turning to Van Pelt. "Can you cuff him for me? We'll drop him of at the local PD before we go back to Sacramento."

"You shot him?" she asked.

Lisbon nodded. "He's no risk now, but he has a damn big mouth. Almost pushed Jane over the edge."

Van Pelt nodded, and walked over to Martin.

Lisbon turned back to Rigsby. "You brought someone who can fix the car?" she asked.

He nodded, and Cho and another man exited the vehicle.

Cho nodded to Lisbon, then walked over to Grace.

"Let's get to work, then," Lisbon said.

* * *

It was dark by the time Rigsby's friend, Joey Lynch, finished working on Lisbon's car. He was friendly, and Lisbon trusted him with the job. Cho and Lynch would drive Lisbon's car, while Van Pelt and Rigsby would take the car they drove to Malibu in. They were going to drop Evans at the PD on the way. It had already been called in.

Jane insisted Lisbon drove with him in the dreaded tin toy. He secretly wanted to keep an eye on her until they got back to Sacramento. He was glad that Lisbon agreed to it.

There was a subdued environment in the car Rigsby was driving; Grace asleep in the seat next to him, and their prisoner slumped in the seat in the back, hands bound behind his back. Rigsby knew Jane was reluctant about leaving Evans in Malibu, but was glad that the consultant understood the agents didn't have jurisdiction in the area. They didn't have a choice.

He scanned the road in front of him, knowing the turnoff was coming up. Rigsby snuck a quick look at Grace, looking absolutely beautiful in her sleep. He missed waking up next to her-,

BANG.

The car lurched forward as a vehicle behind smashed into theirs. Rigsby tried desperately to maintain control of his vehicle, but the other had control over both. His world turned upside-down as the car crashed onto its side. Rigsby heard Grace groan as she woke up, but his body was pinned down by the steering wheel and his seat belt, making it damn near impossible to move. "Grace," he muttered. "You okay?" he asked.

"Yeah," she said. "It hurts," she winced.

He heard approaching footsteps. Slow, and calculated. Purposeful. Rigsby struggled against the bonds that were meant to save his life, may just be what could cause his life to end. He kicked the gas pedal, and the wheels churned uselessly in the air. The footsteps came closer. The passengers door flew open and he heard Evans cry out.

He had to get out. Red John couldn't win this one too. "Evans!-"

The disciple cried out one last time, and Rigsby heard the gun.

Another loose end, now tied up. He hung his head in defeat. They had gotten so damn close again. The back of his neck was warm and sticky from the other man's blood, and Rigsby was preparing himself for the same fate. The gravel crunched under the footsteps… receding with each slowly passing second. The other car drove off, and all he could hear was Grace's subdued breathing, the distant crash of waves on the sand, and crickets chirping. The world had stopped it seemed, when Evans was killed. And it was waking once more. It was an eternity, he was sure, until he breathed again. His life was going to be spared this time, it appeared. He was going to see Ben again, continue working with the team, and Grace. He tried to turn his head, but nothing would budge again.

It was nothing short of a terrifying disaster. Rigsby was stuck in a turned vehicle with a warm body behind him. Blood and brain matter on the back of his head.

Grace was right. Everything hurt.

* * *

They had left Malibu a couple of hours ago, and Jane was happy to see that Lisbon was fast asleep in the passenger's seat. Though she wouldn't admit it, he knew she was absolutely drained; mentally, physically, emotionally. He took in her sleeping form, inhaling the soft smell of cinnamon that had crept into his car.

Keeping one hand on the wheel the whole time, Jane shrugged his jacket off, and carefully draped it over his boss. The CBI agent really wasn't too threatening when she was sleeping. He smiled warmly as she burrowed her head into it, clutching it closer.

The smile turned to a slight frown. He really shouldn't have left her when he went to Vegas. His memory palace still held the words she had said to him when he had followed her to the church. She had gone there to pray- for his safety and wellbeing. His heart still swelled at the thought.

"_I haven't been sleeping, I haven't-, you know what, never mind,"_

The bags under her eyes were one of the first things he noticed when she had turned and saw him for the first time in six months. She hadn't been eating either. He could tell. Her already narrow frame was narrower at the time. He wished he could've told one of the others to keep an eye on her, get her a bear claw every now and then. Maybe an ice cream sundae.

She was saint-like as ever though. His saint Teresa had lost sleep and an already almost non-existent appetite was lost over him. And yet, she still helped him. She went with his plan, and she damn well helped him. She would never realise how much he appreciated that. He just wished there was some way he could make it up to her.

"Jane," the woman in question mumbled, still half asleep.

"Yes, my dear?"

"Stop thinking so loud," she replied.

He chuckled. "I'll try to keep it down," he told her.

"Thanks," Lisbon changed her position, still holding his jacket around her, Jane noticed, and fell asleep again within moments.

He just wished they could get past their previous scars eventually. One day, Red John would be gone for good, and Jane could finally admit his love for Teresa Lisbon.

She still seemed reluctant around him, like any minute he would leave her again. When would she see that he _couldn't _leave now? Not after everything they had been through. Never again. She wanted to be given a reason as to why he wouldn't leave again? He couldn't. For the life of him, he couldn't. He loved her. For the love of god, he loved her. But that one reason was why Red John had targeted her. Patrick may have been ready to move on, but that serial killer… if he got his way, Jane would die a very lonely man.

He glanced at Lisbon. He wasn't going to let her out of his sight until Red John was dead. Love, was a risk in normal circumstances. In this case, it could be a matter of life or death. The man who had killed his family in cold blood had now marked the woman he had promised himself he wouldn't fall in love with. Marked forever as a constant reminder or what they had both sacrificed and risked in order to catch the killer. She was so caring and forgiving. He had no idea how he deserved even part of her heart. Perhaps he _should_ leave… find Red John, and kill him. Lisbon would be safe if he left.

He gripped the steering wheel tighter, anger seeping through his veins at the fact that he'd even considered something like that.

No matter what happened though, that son of a bitch had to die first.

**A/N: Thanks for reading. I apologise again for the delay. I'll try my best to get another chapter up soon. Please review? :P**


	5. Chapter 5

**Author's Note: I know I promised a chapter sooner than this, so I apologise. I have been really busy, and just haven't had the motivation to write. I hope you guys are still with me in this, because I would love it if you are. Thanks for being patient**

**Disclaimer: Still don't own it…**

**Chapter 5**

Cho had just gotten a call from the local PD. Rigsby and Van Pelt hadn't arrived with the suspect still, and he was starting to worry. The agent had tried calling both their cells multiple times, but they had both gone to answerphone each time.

Now, he was driving only a few miles above the speed limit, retracing the two agents' steps. He wasn't religious, but he prayed to some unknown life force that his colleagues were safe, and Red John's disciple was unharmed.

A few metres up, a car lay on its back, with its wheels in the air. The CBI issue vehicle had been flipped, and Cho knew that it couldn't have done that by itself. He stopped the SUV and jumped out.

"Should I just stay here, man?" Joey asked.

Cho nodded, and ran to the other vehicle.

Rigsby didn't know how long they had been sitting in the turned vehicle, but his heart almost stopped when he heard approaching footsteps again.

"Rigsby! Van Pelt!"

Rigsby almost screamed in relief. "Cho!" he yelled back. "We're in here!"

Cho called back to Joey. "Call an ambulance! They're alive!"

* * *

"What'd the note say, anyway?"

Jane thought Lisbon had been asleep, but she'd been awake for the past few miles, scrutinizing him from the corner of her eye. She'd slept for a good portion of the trip, but the question had been nibbling at the back of her mind for too long. Jane had taken the note from her blazer pocket before she'd had the chance to read it.

Things had escalated supremely from there, and the note had been forgotten. Now though, they were safe momentarily, and the note which she assumed was from Red John was still unread.

He smiled in her direction, but kept his eyes on the road. "Doesn't matter, Lisbon," he told her.

She pouted, and knew he was lying. "You seem to forget that I can read you almost as well as you can read me, Jane," she replied quietly.

Jane sighed. "It's not important, Lisbon," he said slowly.

"The hell it isn't, Jane! You were freaked by it, and I have a right to know, since the bastard's marked me!"

There it was again. Her insistence that Red John had marked her. Jane knew she was right; despite his best efforts of trying to distance himself from everyone, especially _her_, Red John had caught wind of how close he was getting to the serious crimes unit of the CBI. Reluctantly, he took his eyes off the road to look at his partner. "Lisbon," he started slowly. "I know… okay? I know how scared you are, and I'm scared too," he directed his gaze to the road again. Mostly because he was in serious danger of being the cause of a serious automobile accident, and secondly… he just couldn't look at her anymore. She had been searching his eyes for some sort of answer, and he didn't want to disappoint her. Jane didn't know the answer they needed either. He shook his head. "He told me I was lucky you were still alive."

Jane didn't tell her that she had become a pawn, a playing piece, in Red John's game. People who had been chosen to play Red John's games had a history of dying horrible deaths, like they both knew. The last twenty-four hours must've been a living Hell for Lisbon-hell; he had been worrying when he drove to pick her up in Malibu, he couldn't imagine what she had been going through.

She pinched the bridge of her nose, and Jane couldn't help but marvel at how adorable she was when she did it. "So… he was _there?_" she asked, pulling her left sleeve up, revealing the face. "When this happened, that bastard was there, too?" she shoved the sleeve back down, accidently hitting the hack job on her arm. She yelled in frustration.

They were on the motorway, but Jane pulled over and stopped the car, thankful the traffic was near non-existent. He turned to face her. "Are you okay?" it was a stupid question, he knew, but to get anything out of the aggravating woman, he would have to start small.

Thankfully, that little out-bust she'd just experienced seemed to have passed, and she was capable of giving him a semi-rational answer.

He was wrong, or course.

"You're gonna leave again, aren't you," she said quietly. It wasn't a question, rather a statement of something she was sure about. "You'll try to catch him before he can hurt the team, but you're _wrong_, Jane, you're just wrong! It's not going to help, disappearing for six months to try catch him, because you won't find him!

"Just… don't leave," she whispered. "Please. I can't do this alone. I know it's gonna be risky, and Red John's going to be targeting us even more than before, but we need you, Jane,"

He had to resist the urge of kissing some sense into the woman, knowing his advances wouldn't be welcomed at a time like this. He leaned closer though, brushing the one lone tear from her cheek that managed to escape. "Teresa," he said. "I've already told you that I'm not leaving you this time. I know, that I've made some ridiculous decisions, but they seemed logical at the time. And when I left… you have no idea how much it hurt me not being able to tell you what I was doing. I wanted to call so many times-,"

Lisbon had been searching his eyes again, to make sure he wasn't lying, and hadn't even noticed her phone ring. Her eyes snapped to her pocket, as she pulled her phone out. She swallowed the fear that it could've been Red John calling, and answered, breathing an inaudible sigh of relief when the caller ID had proven to be correct, and Cho was on the other line.

Her relief was short lived though, when she was delivered the news. Rigsby and Van Pelt had been in a car accident. Martins had been shot and killed on site. Her brow furrowed more as the conversation lengthened, but Jane knew to keep quiet. When Lisbon hung up, she relayed the news to him. Wordlessly, he started the car again, and, finding the nearest turn-off, they headed back towards Malibu. Rendezvous was at the hospital just out of town.

"I'm sorry," Lisbon said, breaking the silence.

"What for?" he asked gently.

She shrugged. "We did just lose you another link to Red John," she replied.

"Meh, doesn't matter. I wouldn't have been able to get anything out of him anyway, the son of a bitch," he reassured her. "I'm just glad that Rigsby and Grace are going to be okay,"

She nodded. "Yeah, me too,"

Lisbon was worried that she revealed too much to her consultant in their conversation earlier. It wasn't like her to open up so much. She had learnt to be a closed book, as she called herself, after years of an abusive, alcoholic father, and having to look after her three younger brothers. No-one ever asked her if she was okay, and she had learnt to be content with this for most of her life.

And then, Patrick Jane came along, and as the years passed, she had unknowingly begun to open up to him, almost to the point where she told him everything.

* * *

They were extremely lucky. Her agents weren't hurt too badly, thankfully; a few bruises, and shattered pride. No broken bones and psychological damage for sitting in a car upside down for the period of time they had. They weren't required to stay in for observation, so they were soon ready to leave again.

"We're not going just yet," Jane had said, tugging Lisbon by her injured wrist.

She yelped in pain. "Jesus, Jane! What they hell do you think you're doing?" she said angrily.

"You need to get this bandaged up at least," he told her.

"Van Pelt can do it," she sniffed stubbornly.

"What're you two talking about?" the red headed agent asked.

Lisbon hesitated for a moment before ushering the team into a vacant room. Rigsby's friend had been asked to stay with the SUV. She pulled her sleeve up, revealing the mark. "Turns out, Red John's targeted me," she said slowly. "Sorry we kept this from you, but, at the moment, it's hard to know who to trust,"

Their reactions were played out just as Lisbon expected. Anger, shock, disbelief, disgust. They knew their boss had sacrificed and risked a lot to catch the serial killer, and on the road, she had gotten unbearably close to Jane. Red John had noticed, and again, they were both going to pay.

"Look, I understand if you don't want to be part of the Red John investigation, but I think it's become a priority that we do it sooner rather than later," this time Jane spoke. Lisbon was surprised that he was being so selfless, telling the team they had a choice in the matter. He, on the other hand, had no choice in finding the man who had brutally murdered his family. Jane's path had been chosen for him years ago.

Van Pelt shook her head, smiling. "It's kinda too late to back out now, Jane. We've been doing this for years. And I agree, it's imperative that we find him now, more than ever,"

Rigsby joined Grace, placing a hand on her shoulder. "I'm with her," he said.

Cho, stoic as ever, just nodded silently.

Lisbon couldn't help but smile. Sure, she had missed out on a family life as a child, and sacrificed having her own family when she signed up to be a cop. But, it was times like these when she realised that the people standing around her _were_ her family. "It's going to be risky, guys," she told them. "There's a high chance that Red John will try target you as well, so the sooner we find him,"

"The better," Jane finished for her. It hadn't gone unnoticed how close he had been standing to their boss. It was obvious more than ever that he was protective over the woman, and the other agents realised why the serial killer had set his sights on the CBI agent.

Rumours had been going around, sure, but now Van Pelt knew for sure. Red John was making sure that Jane never experienced happiness again, by eliminating everyone he loved. If the circumstances were different, she would've been happy. The man deserved happiness, and she knew Teresa Lisbon had the ability to deliver. But, it seemed, that her heart had the ability to get her killed by California's most notorious serial killer.

Grace brushed these thoughts away, and wondered if anyone else had noticed Jane's feelings. Red John, obviously, but she doubted Rigsby or Cho had, or even Lisbon. It wasn't her business, but how _did_ Lisbon feel about the man?

"Van Pelt, do you think this need professional medical attention?" Jane asked her. He and Lisbon had begun arguing about the face again. It made her spine tingle, it was just so wrong.

She shook her head. "Don't think so," she said. 'It probably hurts a lot, but I don't think it's too deep. You have a first aid kit in the SUV right?" she asked.

Lisbon nodded, and Rigsby went to go get it, while Van Pelt looked at the wound.

Blood had trickled from the face and down her arm and dried, just like the faces painted in blood they found at the crime scenes. It was like someone had held the boss' arm up when the wound was fresh, and let gravity do the rest.

* * *

The blood had been cleaned, and the wound firmly secured in bandages. Lisbon was thankful that she couldn't see the face anymore. Soon after, with two vehicles left, the CBI team and Joey Lynch, the car saviour, drove back to Sacramento.

The wound would heal, it seemed, but the mental scars would run much deeper than the physical one that was a permanent reminder of everything she had done. And, she would have to constantly ask herself: _was it worth it?_

**A/N: thanks for reading. Reviews are extremely appreciated! I promise the next chapter will be up soon, with some action maybe :D **


	6. Chapter 6

**Author's Note: So, unfortunately, The Mentalist is on a three week hiatus D: Well, I guess that means I'm gonna have to be writing quite a bit :P And remember, updates come quicker if I know you readers are enjoying this, so please review! Enjoy :)**

**Disclaimer: Still don't have the rights…**

**Chapter 6**

Cho didn't ask questions when both Van Pelt and Rigsby had asked to be dropped off at Rigsby's place. They'd had a hell of a night, and Cho genuinely doubted they would get up to doing much. The whole team was exhausted. Jane had called ahead and told him that he was taking Lisbon back to her place.

Secretly, Cho wished that he had someone to turn to after events like what they'd just experienced. The last time he'd heard from Summer was when she'd turned up 8 months pregnant and engaged. He genuinely felt happy for her, but he would at least admit to himself that he missed her.

They'd dropped Joey off first; just on the outskirts of Sacramento, with a promise from him that he wouldn't tell anyone what had happened the last twelve hours. Cho offered for him to come back to CBI the following morning, to receive his payment, which Joey politely declined.

After leaving Van Pelt and Rigsby, vowing not to tell _anyone _that they'd stayed together overnight; Cho went to his own place. He didn't bother taking his shoes off, but just collapsed onto his bed, falling asleep almost instantly.

* * *

Jane had already told Lisbon to suck it up, he wasn't leaving her out of his sight until he caught Red John. Lisbon mistakenly told Jane that he had been trying to do the same thing for the last ten years, and he wasn't even close to catching the serial killer. Jane knew she was annoyed about being so vulnerable, but he wouldn't lie. He was genuinely hurt by her thoughtless comment.

"I'm not gonna lose you too," he said quietly.

"I'm sorry, Jane," she apologised, her voice at a level to match his.

He shrugged. "I'm still not letting you stay by yourself, Lisbon," he told her

She stayed silent, not wanting to say anything that might offend him. If she were being completely honest, at least with herself, that is, she felt relieved that he was insisting on staying with her. Although she pretended to never acknowledge her fear, she still felt it, and the feeling was strong then. She shook her head, not really caring if she was going to show her fear to Jane. Knowing him, he probably already noticed it. "Fine, Jane," she said, giving up. "You can stay. For tonight. That's it though, ok?" she told him.

He grinned slightly, satisfied that he'd won. She shook her head, knowing that she wasn't going to hear the last of it, but also relieved that he hadn't given up, and he was staying with her.

It was only when the Citroën had pulled into the driveway of her flat that Teresa realised how tired she really was. It had been a hell of a couple of days. She sighed wearily as Jane killed the engine. He got out of the car, and walked over to her door, pulling it open and offering her his hand. "C'mon," he said.

Typically, she would've glared at him and slapped his hand away, but she was far too tired to protest. She took his offered hand and he pulled her to her feet. She had been on autopilot for the last forty hours and it was finally taking its toll. She leant heavily on Jane as they walked to her front door. She almost didn't realise his arm wrap around her waist, keeping her upright.

"Key's under the pot," she muttered to him.

He nodded, and reached to the pot, lifting it up, and retrieving her spare key, keeping one arm around her waist the whole time, worried she was going to collapse if he didn't hold onto her.

He eased open the door and pulled her inside. Her posture seemed to relax even more as she stepped into the familiar environment. "Thanks Jane," she said.

"No problem," he replied.

"No, really, thank you. For everything,"

He smirked. "Teresa Lisbon, thanking me?" he said with mock surprise.

She rolled her eyes. "I'm going to bed. There's some extra blankets and pillows in that cupboard," she pointed to the door beside the couch.

Jane nodded. "Right. Thanks. Night, Lisbon,"

She didn't reply, saving her energy for collapsing on her bed.

Jane didn't bother with the blanket or pillow Lisbon had offered, instead kicking his shoes off and lying on the couch. He pillowed his head under his folded arms. The first thing he noticed, was that he missed the warmth he and Lisbon had shared the night before in the back of her car. He shifted, crossing his arms over his chest. It wasn't the same. He wondered if Lisbon would mind if he joined her in her bed. He banished the thought instantly, albeit reluctantly. Firstly, the woman was his _boss_, and without a doubt his best friend.

Besides, holding her in his arms the night before had only been in attempts to comfort her. She had seemed truly shaken by the nightmare, and she needed him. He was tired, yes, but he couldn't sleep. Not with the knowledge that Lisbon was just up the stairs, probably fast asleep. Jane would be a fool if he didn't say that he wanted an excuse to sleep with her in his arms again.

His phone vibrated on the table next to him. He reached over, picking it up, and, even though he didn't recognise the number, answered it anyway.

"Patrick Jane," he spoke in a hushed tone, not wanting to wake Lisbon, who he was sure had already fallen asleep.

"Patrick," the woman breathed.

He shot up. "Lorelei?" he asked.

"Listen, I don't have much time, Patrick," she said.

He was at a loss for words. Jane hadn't heard from the woman since he'd broken her out of prison. "What is it, Lorelei?" he asked her quietly.

"I can't discuss this over the phone, Patrick. There's a diner open 24/7 just down the road from the CBI. I'll meet you there,"

The phone call ended, leaving Jane just as confused, even a little mad. Lorelei did work for Red John, and the man had just targeted his partner.

Still, he got up from the couch and crossed over to the front door. Quickly hoping that Lisbon wouldn't wake up while he was gone, he quietly opened the door and slipped outside.

* * *

Jane knew the diner Lorelei was talking about. He'd gotten his fair share of eggs from the place at obscene hours of the morning. The made good eggs. Jane was going to cook some eggs for Lisbon when she woke up, as a secret apology. If things went right, she wouldn't find out about Lorelei, but Jane felt guilty nonetheless.

The diner was a little place just on a corner, 10 minutes from Lisbon's house. At 2:30 in the morning, the place was basically empty, except for the insomniac customers much like himself. There, sitting in the window booth, was Red John's girl. Jane didn't know how to react. He had tried to make a deal with the woman so many times, tried to earn her trust in exchange for the serial killers name. He had broken the woman out of federal _prison_, and hadn't heard from her in months. And now, the man she worked for was targeting the one person who kept him grounded on earth.

She had dyed her hair back to its original brown, either that, or it had been so long since they had seen each other that the honey blond Lorelei had originally dyed it to had washed out. He plastered a small smile onto his face, and walked into the diner.

Sitting at the table with Lorelei sat a plate of eggs. Anger surged through Jane's veins as he noticed it. Like Red John was mocking him. Still, he sat opposite her.

"You look good," he told her.

"Patrick," she said, eyes still searching the building. "I can't stay long."

"What's this about?" Jane asked.

"Red John," she replied. "He's _mad_, Jane. You're not playing his game, and you know how vengeful he gets,"

"Lisbon," he said, nodding slowly.

She nodded too. "He noticed how much she means to you, noticed years ago. He noticed last year, even more, when you refused to kill her. After what happened last night… my cousin was a good asset, but he was weak. That's why he had to die. He would've talked eventually,"

"Why're you telling me all this?"

She shrugged. "I owe you, I guess,"

He shook his head. "No, you're not one to give favours. What does he want? What did he tell you to tell me?"

"Nothing, Patrick," she said, sliding her hand over his. He pulled back, putting his hands in his lap.

"No," he said. "I don't believe you,"

"Patrick, he can't win every time. I still don't know if he killed my sister, but Red John, he has his weaknesses. I'm not saying he needs to die, but Agent Lisbon deserves to live. I've become quite attached to you, Patrick," she said with a small smile. "Your family didn't deserve to be killed,"

Jane stood to leave. "Unless you have anything else to tell me, like who Red John is," he said lowly. "I'll be leaving now,"

"Just go by his rules, Patrick, or he will kill her," Lorelei told him.

He nodded, and left the diner.

* * *

He drove around Sacramento for a couple of hours, before going back to Lisbon's house. Thankfully, the place was undisturbed, only just realising then how stupid he had been. While he had been conversing with Lorelei, it could've been a ruse to get Lisbon alone.

Fortunately though, at a glance everything seemed untouched. Just to be sure though, he crept up the stairs to Lisbon's bedroom. The door was open a crack, and the light turned off.

Suddenly, there was a lot of rustling as Lisbon snapped the bedside lamp on, aiming the gun at Jane. She looked absolutely dishevelled. "Jane?" she said. "What the hell are you doing?"

He shrugged. "Just making sure you're ok," he said.

She yawned. "I'm fine, Jane," she said warily. "Go to sleep,"

He complied, going back downstairs to the couch. "Night, Lisbon," he called to her.

She didn't reply, having already fallen asleep.

Several minutes later, Jane went back up to her room and lay on top of her bed. He left a respectable space between them, but soon after he arrived, Lisbon had rolled into his side, and he instinctively held her close. For a second time, Jane fell asleep with Lisbon in his arms.

**A/N: Thanks for reading, please review :) **


	7. Chapter 7

**Author's Note: Ok… so with this chapter, I made some huge risks that you will see at the end. I am anxious to know what you guys think. Thanks to those who reviewed the last chapter. Enjoy!**

**Oh yeah, and sorry if you got more than one e-mail about this update, there was something up with the formatting of the chapter that I thought I'd fixed, but I hadn't. It's all sorted now though.**

**Disclaimer: Would I really be an unknown author on if I owned The Mentalist? Maybe. But that's not the point…**

**Chapter 7**

Lisbon vaguely remembered Jane coming into her room several hours before. She was sure it hadn't been a dream, finding herself in his arms again, but when she woke up that morning, Jane was gone, and the other side of the bed cold. It was late in the morning, she could tell, with the sun streaming through her windows and touching the edge of her bed. She stretched, and left her bedroom.

As she descended the stairs, she smelt eggs cooking, and she released her breath that she hadn't realised she was holding. He was still here. So far, he'd kept his promise, and he had stayed.

Jane was in the kitchen, cooking scrambled eggs and toast, still dressed in the three piece suit from the night before. Lisbon took a moment to wonder if he even owned a pair of pyjamas, albeit, anything other than the suits she was so used to seeing him in.

He turned around, sensing her presence, and greeted her with a smile. "Morning, Lisbon," he said.

She returned the smile. "Morning, yourself,"

Lisbon was surprised how at ease she had been around him. They had just spent another night in each other's arms, and there was no lingering awkwardness.

Jane, on the other hand seemed… tense, though. She wasn't sure why though. Lisbon didn't notice Jane calling her name until his hand reached to touch her on the shoulder.

"You ok?" he asked.

She smiled again, nodding. "Yeah," she replied.

He frowned slightly, but continued cooking breakfast. He picked up the plates. "Go sit down," he told her, motioning to her unused dining room table.

Before they ate, Jane reached over and pulled the sleeve of Lisbon's jersey up, revealing her bandages. "What're you doing?" she questioned.

"I'm gonna change the bandages," he murmured.

She rolled her eyes. "What are you actually going to do?" Lisbon asked him.

"That note Red John put in your blazer pocket… I have a feeling the face on that is identical to the one on your wrist," he said, still focussing on the bandages.

Her mouth fell open. "Are you saying… that the face on the note was _stamped_ on?" she said, tone reaching slight hysteria.

He nodded. "That's why I need to take these off,"

"What's it gonna prove though, Jane?" she asked.

He shrugged, looking into her eyes. "Not sure yet. But Red John's getting serious. He's realised how important you are to me, and he's trying to use that against me. He's getting bolder, and he wants me to play his game,"

"But, what is this _game_?" she asked him.

"That's still unclear. Even after all these years, I still don't know," he replied quietly. "We have to be careful though," his hand trailed down her wrist, grasping her fingers. "_You_ have to be careful, Lisbon," he pleaded.

She nodded. "I will,"

His eyes roamed over her wrist again. "May I?" he asked.

She hesitated before nodding. "Sure," she said, licking her lips in nervous anticipation.

Tenderly, with careful fingers, Jane began to unwind the bandages binding Lisbon's wrist. She tried not to wince as the air hit the open wound, but there was no denying. It hurt like hell. Next, he unfolded the note he retrieved from his pocket, and laid it next to her. Silent moments went by agonisingly slowly as Jane scrutinised both the faces. He shook his head in disgust. "The son of a bitch!" he exclaimed.

"They're identical aren't they?" she asked him softly.

He nodded, still glaring at the note the serial killer had ordered be put into the agent's jacket.

She wanted to forget everything. The fact that Red John had targeted her, how troubled Jane was.

"She was right."

"Who was right, Jane?" Lisbon asked him.

He looked up, realising his mistake too late. "No-one, Lisbon," he said smoothly.

"No, Jane. Who was right?" she asked again.

He breathed out, and bandaged Lisbon's wrist again before he answered. "Lorelei called me last night," he said.

She shook her head, but stayed silent. Finally, she talked to him. "So… you did leave last night," it was a statement, not a question.

He nodded. "It was stupid, I know. And the whole thing was worthless," he said, with a slight shake of his head, visibly frustrated at his decisions.

"What did she want?" she asked softly. It was no secret that Lisbon really disliked Lorelei. She worked for Red John, tried to throw her relationship with Jane in Lisbon's face. And it had worked. The fact that Jane had gone to meet Martins, and _then_ held her, Lisbon, for the whole night, made her feel sick.

"Nothing happened," he reassured her, obviously reading her. "She… warned me about Red John. He's mad, that I'm not going by his rules-,"

"Here we go with his rules again! What does he _mean_, Jane?"

"I'm not sure… if you're meant to be alive, Teresa. You were supposed to die. Firstly, in…Vegas when I made the deal with Lorelei to meet Red John. He noticed then how close we are. I'm thinking, that he still wants me to join him. So, he's using you,"

Breakfast was forgotten, and Lisbon completely lost her appetite. Finding out the consultant she may or may not have had feelings for had been visiting with the woman he slept with apparently wasn't enough. Now, Lisbon also had the news that Red John was using her to get to Jane. For once, Lisbon didn't know what to do.

Again, Jane reached over, and put his hand over hers, as a form of solace. "I'll keep you safe, Teresa," he told her.

Despite her best instincts screaming for her to disagree, she nodded. The past two days had shown her at least that he was going to be there for her. "You're my consultant though, Jane. It's my job to protect you,"

He shrugged. "That bastard is gonna have to realise that he can't mess with either of us then, isn't he?" he said softly, with a small smile.

She smiled back, but was still nervous. She was about to reply but her words, and their brief spell of safety was broken by her phone ringing. "Hey, Rigsby, what's up?"

Rigsby's morning had been surprisingly enjoyable, he reflected with a small smile. He hadn't admitted to Grace that he was still in love with her, but after the previous night's events, and being in that car crash, they had both collapsed onto his bed, and fell asleep. That morning, he woke up with an armful of his favourite red-headed agent. He tried to supress a smile as she stirred in his arms, and greeted him with her own impish grin.

"Morning, Wayne,"

It wasn't often that Grace called him by his first name, and it made his heart soar. "Morning, Grace," he replied. They left his bed, still fully clothed from the night before, and ventured into the kitchen.

Sarah had Ben for the weekend, so the house was silent. "Coffee?" he offered.

"Yes please," she accepted.

Moments later, they were both standing at his kitchen bench with a fresh cup of coffee in hand, revelling in an uncomfortable silence.

"So, Cho's asked me to go pick the SUV up from his place this morning," Rigsby stated. "Want to come?"

She smiled awkwardly in his direction. "Sure," she said.

"What's up, Grace?" he asked.

She shrugged. "We went years without acknowledging these… feelings between us, and after one incident, we both collapse. I just can't help thinking. Was this meant to happen?"

He sobered. "I'm not sure, Grace. But… I don't want to forget about this," he glanced at the clock, reading the time. "But, if we don't go get that car now, Cho isn't gonna be very happy," he said.

She forced a smile, and followed him out the door.

They bantered and chatted freely in his car, as they drove to Cho's house. When they got there, the place was untouched, but the stoic agent still appeared to be sleeping. None of the windows or curtains were open to suggest otherwise. Grace and Rigsby got out of the car.

She wrinkled her nose. "Is that… bleach?" she asked.

"Oh no…" Rigsby ran to the SUV and wrenched the door open. The smell was overwhelming, and there was no denying it. The car had been bleached, all forensic evidence destroyed. "Shit," he muttered.

His eyes shot to the front door of Cho's place. He knew the man. He knew that Cho wouldn't let something like this happen, unless he couldn't stop it. without a word, he entered the house. "Cho?" he called out.

His bedroom was the last place he checked. Rigsby choked back a sob as he saw the fellow agent, and one of his best friends. He pulled his phone out and called the one person who had a right to know. "Lisbon, it's Rigsby. Cho…. We were too late, boss! Red John got here first!"

**A/N: So, there you have it. Cliffhanger? Yes. Is it what it seems? Perhaps not. Don't worry, I started writing chapter 8 even before I started this chapter, so it should be up soon. Review? Yes please!**


	8. Chapter 8

**Author's Note: Super quick update, because I couldn't leave you guys on a cliffhanger like that. Really hope I've done this some justice, and please enjoy. Thanks to everyone who reviewed the last chapter :) Anywho…. Onward!**

**Disclaimer: Although I got chocolate for Easter, I'm still not any closer at owning The Mentalist…**

**Chapter 8**

The phone slipped out of Lisbon's hand and onto the floor, and she hoped to God that she had misheard. It had to be a mistake. Cho couldn't be dead. Her throat was dry, and she had trouble swallowing, but she couldn't feel anything.

Jane had heard the whole conversation. He was trembling, in sadness, denial and anger. That bastard thought he had a right to kill his second family too? He glanced over at Lisbon, who was shaking slightly, eyes glazed. He reached over to touch her forearm, and when she didn't respond to that, he stood up and went over to her. Jane pulled her into his arms and held her tight. The tension in her small frame was overwhelming.

He led her over to the couch, still holding her. "Don't fight it," he told her in a choked whisper. She began to cry into his shoulder, and Jane rocked her slightly as the sobs shook her body. He had nothing to say though. For once, Patrick Jane was lost for words. Silent tears fell down his own cheeks.

He didn't know how long they'd stayed there, but eventually Lisbon stopped clutching his shirt like her life depended on it, and the tears subsided. Lisbon wiped her eyes, trying furiously to cover the evidence that she'd been crying. "We better go," she said, voice thick.

"If you need more time, they'll understand, Teresa," he told her.

She shook her head. "I need to get there," she said, standing up. "I need to be with the team."

He joined her, grasping her hand, to comfort both her and himself. He couldn't help feeling slightly responsible for what had happened. "I'll drive," he said, giving the agent's hand a small, reassuring squeeze.

She nodded, squeezing his hand in return. "Ok," she whispered.

* * *

He tried to convince himself that he was dreaming, as they drove to Cho's house. The uniforms hadn't arrived, and Jane wondered if Rigsby had called them yet. Trust him to give the team some space before they had to do their jobs again. The drive was painfully quick; neither of them wanted to arrive, admit that he was actually gone. Jane stopped outside the house, but kept the engine running. "You ready?" he asked her quietly.

Lisbon stared defiantly out the window. "Yeah," she replied with a brief nod.

They walked slowly up to the front door, trying to avoid the inevitability of entering the house. One of the only things her brain registered to was the overpowering smell of bleach. She stopped outside the door, and Van Pelt came up to them, enveloping her in a tight hug. "I can't believe it, boss," she sobbed. "He can't be gone!"

Lisbon silently comforted the younger agent, but didn't shed a tear. She was their leader, and needed to appear as a strong figure, someone they could rely on. Lisbon had shed her tears with Jane before they arrived.

Jane approached the taller agent, who was staring at nothing, shaking his head. "It's not possible," he muttered. "That asshole didn't kill my partner."

"Rigsby," Jane said, putting a hand on the man's forearm. "We'll get through this, ok?" he told him, his own voice wavering.

After comforting Grace, Lisbon discreetly turned away and wiped tears from her eyes. Wordlessly, the remainder of the CBI serious crimes unit entered the house.

The curtains were still drawn, giving the bedroom an uninhabited, cold, dark feeling. He looked like he was sleeping. Lisbon wished it was true, but the blood told her otherwise. Jane's eyes rested on the face above the agent's bed, and he turned his head in disgust. Lisbon reached his hand with her own, and held it tight. She stayed silent though. Rigsby swallowed thickly, and Grace found her way into his arms, crying into his shoulder.

Lisbon closed her eyes, and said a silent prayer.

Cho groaned.

Her eyes flew open, instantly thinking she had misheard. The others were looking at the agent, covered in blood. Lisbon's free hand came to her mouth. "Oh my god," she whispered.

Jane recovered his composure first, and walked over to Cho. He put his hands to the side of his neck, checking for a pulse. For the first time since they got the phone call, Jane could breathe easy. "Call an ambulance," he said calmly.

"What?" Rigsby asked.

Lisbon got the message. "Call an ambulance, Rigsby."

"No, it's not possible," he said, but still reached for his phone.

Jane grinned in relief. "He's got a pulse!" he cried out. "He's not dead!"

Lisbon cried out, followed by Grace. "Oh, thank god!" this time, she let the tears flow freely. Her right hand man was alive. But how?

Jane leant closer to Cho. "These aren't knife marks," he said slowly. "It's hard to discern… but I think this was staged," he said.

Lisbon went to stand next to him. "How do you mean?" she asked him.

Jane was silent, as his eyes stopping on the left-hand bedside table. "Ah," he said simply, reaching for a white slip of paper that no-one had noticed. He unfolded, first noticing the red face down the bottom of the page. "It's identical.." he murmured. Silently, he read on.

_Sacrifices have to be made, Patrick, but I am a gracious man, and I know how important Agent Cho is to the Serious Crimes Unit. He has been spared, but I hope you learn that I will not be so generous. I believe, you will make an excellent ally, and I intend on proving this to you._

_RJ._

It was ominous, and if Jane were being honest, he would say it freaked the hell out of him. Lisbon had read the note over his shoulder. "But, why go through all this trouble to just send you a message?" she asked him

"Red John's a showman, Lisbon," he explained. "He likes things to make a statement, so he's remembered. I mean, look at how he displays the bodies of his victims," he said, taking another look at the note, before putting it in his pocket.

"Hey, that's evidence, Jane,"

"There's not gonna be any usable prints or anything on it Lisbon. At least, not any that he doesn't want us to find."

She nodded. "Fine, Jane" she said, too tired to argue.

Moments later, Rigsby returned. "Ambulance will be here in a few, guys," he informed them. "He woken up yet?"

Lisbon shook her head. "Not yet. Let's just be thankful he's alive, though,"

Rigsby nodded. "Yeah," he said, trying to suppress a smile. Grace had followed him out when he made the phone call, and was standing beside him.

No-one knew what to say, but they sat in a comfortable silence. Colour was returning to Cho's face, and he stirred again.

"How'd Red John make him look so….dead, though?" Van Pelt asked reluctantly.

"I'm guessing drugs," Jane replied. "Same as Lisbon, when she was first taken," he said, tilting his head toward the shorter agent. She self-consciously put her hands in her back pockets.

Grace nodded slowly.

"I feel so stupid," Rigsby groaned. "I should've noticed it was all fake!"

"It's not your fault, Wayne," Grace told him. "We were all pretty shocked. If Cho didn't start regaining consciousness, none of us would've noticed he was still alive," she put a hand on his arm. "Like boss said, let's just be thankful he's alive, ok?"

He nodded. "I'm sorry, though guys," he softly told the team.

"Nothing to be sorry about, Rigsby," Lisbon said, Jane nodding in agreement.

Sirens sounded outside, indicating the ambulance had arrived. Jane turned to Lisbon. "Do you have any of those test tube thingys?" he asked.

"Thingys?" she repeated. "Why?"

"I want to take some of the blood that's on Cho. For DNA testing," he replied.

"Seriously? Why, Jane?" she asked her consultant.

"Well, it might just be cow's blood," he started. "But what if it's another victim?" he asked. "Everyone keeps on telling me to follow Red John's rules, so what if he's killed again, but we don't know about it?"

"There might be something we can put it in," Van Pelt stated. "It's just in my car,"

Jane nodded. "Thanks, Grace,"

"I hope you know what you're doing, Jane," Lisbon said.

He nodded. "Relax. This might be good for all of us."

She decided to trust him.

Two paramedics came in, carrying a stretcher between them. "Cho's residence?" one of them asked.

Lisbon nodded, pointing to the stoic agent, still unconscious.

"Jeeze," the paramedics took a step back. "You sure he's still alive?" the other asked.

"Positive," Lisbon replied warily. "It's not his blood. He was drugged, we think," she explained.

"Ok, then," the paramedic replied reluctantly as they approached the stoic agent. "Let's get him ready to go, then,"

* * *

Lisbon took the ambulance with Cho, wanting to keep an eye on him. She still couldn't believe everything that had just happened, but was so relieved that her whole team were still living. She didn't know what she would do if one of them were to die, and being faced with the situation really scarred her. The CBI team was her family, and she'd already lost most of her real family once. She would not let it happen again.

The rest of the team were waiting at the hospital, all slightly surprised that they were in a medical building again for a second time in the last 24 hours. Lisbon gave them a smile, and they all approached her. "He's gonna be fine," she said. "They're keeping him in for observation, but he'll live,"

They all breathed sighs of relief. "And Rigsby," the agent looked up. "You can't beat yourself up about this. Anyone else would've reacted exactly the same way."

He nodded, but didn't look convinced. "I'll take first shift here," he offered.

"I've organised to have a couple of uniforms to stay stationed at his ward, but if you want to stay, that's fine," Lisbon told him.

"Ok," he said with a nod.

"Van Pelt, Jane," Lisbon addressed the remainder of her team. "Go home. We'll come back when Cho wakes up, ok?"

Van Pelt shook her head. "Can't we stay here, boss?" she pleaded. "And go home when he wakes up?"

Lisbon sighed. "Fine. But I'm gonna need coffee."

"I'll get it," Jane offered, getting to his feet. "You guys?" he asked Grace and Rigsby.

"Please," they answered in unison.

"I'll be in the ward," Rigsby said.

"Ok, Rigsby," Lisbon said. Grace looked longingly at his back, going down the hallway. "He'll be fine," Lisbon reassured the younger agent.

* * *

In the ward, Cho was slowly waking up. The surroundings were different, unfamiliar, but he didn't feel threatened. His eyes focussed on the person sitting forward in one of the uncomfortable plastic visitors' chairs. Rigsby grinned. "Welcome back, man," he said.

Cho didn't know where he'd been, but it was good to see his partner's face again. He grinned back.

**A/N: I am so nervous about this chapter, so I really hope you enjoyed it. Of course, Cho could never die! I don't think he would be very happy about it, and I know none of you guys would've been either. So, new chapter to come up soon, and I hope everyone is glad one of our favourite CBI agents didn't die in this story! Thanks for reading :)**


	9. Chapter 9

**Author's Note: I am so, so sorry for the delay! I've been really busy, and had to deal with a bad bout of writers block too. I wasn't really happy with this chapter, but since I won't be able to get another chapter up for a week or so after tomorrow, I was in a hurry to get it up now. Sorry again, and I hope you like it nonetheless!**

**Disclaimer: The wish still hasn't been granted…**

**Chapter 9**

News that Cho had woken up reached them just minutes later. Rigsby had walked, surprisingly calm, out of the ward with a broad grin on his face, all thoughts he'd had before of letting the team down were forgotten, at least for that moment. They all knew why he'd come out. "He's awake," Rigsby breathed a sigh a relief, being able to say it aloud making it even more real. For the second time that morning, the SCU walked as one through the door. They thought they had, at least. By the time they'd actually gotten to the door, they were tripping over each other, trying to get through and see the stoic agent first.

Cho greeted them all. "Boss," he said with a small nod. "Van Pelt, Jane,"

Lisbon smiled. "Hey, Cho," she said gently. "How're you feeling?"

"Like I've been drinking non-stop for hours on end," he replied simply.

"So, like shit," Rigsby quipped.

Cho laughed weakly. "Yeah, you could say that, man," he said. The smile left Cho's face as he braved up to ask the inevitable. "What happened?" he asked roughly.

Lisbon sank into the vacated visitor chair. "Red John," she stated.

"Red John?" he echoed, looking around the room.

"Yeah," Van Pelt said gravely.

Lisbon looked at her agent in the eye. "You want to know what happened? We can leave it if you want," she offered.

He shook his head. "Now's fine," he answered uncertainly.

Cho had already been informed by various nurses and doctors that he'd been drugged. They'd left it up to Lisbon and her team to tell him the circumstances though.

Lisbon took a deep, shaky breath, stopped short by Jane's hand resting on her shoulder. She shook her head, mad that she still must have looked weak, but looked Cho in the eyes. "He staged you like one of his victims," she told him.

Cho continued to look at his boss, but his hands balled into fists around the hospital blanket. "Why?" he asked.

"The SUV was completely stripped," Rigsby explained. "The son of a bitch used bleach, to get rid of all the evidence,"

Grace's head shot up. "Does that mean Red John left forensic evidence?" she asked, hopefully.

Jane shook his head, and squeezed Lisbon's shoulder slightly. "I doubt it," he told the young agent. "He's probably just being cautious." He smiled. "If he did leave evidence though… it means Red John isn't as thorough as we thought," he told the team.

"Jane," Lisbon whispered, standing up and looking the consultant in the eye. "You promised. Don't get carried away," she pleaded quietly.

He looked down at her. "I promise, Lisbon," he said in a tone that matched her own. "I'm not going to get carried away," he told her sincerely.

She nodded reluctantly. "Thank you," she said with a slight smile.

"So have you two come up with your own conclusion as to why I've been targeted too?" Cho asked loudly.

Lisbon jumped back, blushing slightly. She stammered, "I, uh-"

Grace watched from across the room, smiling to herself. She turned to Jane, who uncharacteristically ran a hand through his hair. To an unobservant passing by, the two looked like a teenage couple who'd just been caught. To Van Pelt though, she saw how undeniable feelings were between the two. "Jane, what do you think?" she asked him.

He shrugged, uncertain. "Well, there was another note," he told them. "Red John seems certain that I'm going to join him, and he's desperate to show me he's right."

"Jane, is Red John trying to scare you into joining him?" Lisbon asked.

"I… don't know. It seems that way. But, you seem to be his main target, Lisbon. I'm not sure what that means, though," he said, frustrated.

"It's not your fault, y'know," Cho told him.

"I got you all into this. It is my fault."

"Jane," Lisbon said sharply. "How many times do I have to tell you that we signed ourselves up to this? None of it's your fault," she told him.

He nodded slowly. "I have to protect you," he said quietly.

A familiar voice called, "Let me through!"

Rigsby moved from his place by the door, revealing Summer Edgecombe.

"Summer?"

"Oh, Kimball!" she cried out, stumbling to the bed.

"How'd you find out I was here?" Cho asked.

Summer kissed the agent on the cheek. "I'm so glad you're ok," she said, ignoring his question.

"Where's your husband and kid, Summer?" he asked.

"Kimball Cho, you are so lucky to be alive!" she stated.

"Am I talking to myself?" he asked incredulously.

Jane chuckled, but noticed the agent wanted to talk to Summer in private. "Shall we go?" he offered.

Cho nodded. "Sure," he said.

After saying their goodbyes, the team filed out of the ward, hearing Summer scolding Cho as they left.

* * *

Jane offered to drive Lisbon home from the hospital. Rigsby insisted on staying at the hospital. He didn't want another incident like the one they'd faced that morning, and wanted to keep an eye on Cho's room. Grace stayed also, silently fearful of going to an empty house.

Lisbon thought she'd had a good sleep the night before, and yet she was struggling to keep her eyes open as Jane drove. He looked over to her. "Don't fight it," he told her again. The remark was enough for her to squeeze her eyes shut. She wanted no reminder of what had happened, and how obvious it was that she had really needed him. Her eyes flew open when Jane's fingers entwined with her own. "Jane, I…" She wanted to ask him about the last few days, what it meant sleeping in his arms, the lingering touches, the handholding. She had now come to crave his touch even more, but didn't know how he felt. She still wondered every damn day if he had truly meant he loved her, but if he could take that back so easily, Jane sure as hell could take back all meaning for everything they'd done over the week.

"We'll talk later, Lisbon," he told her.

Sometimes she wondered if he could actually read minds. Despite his tone, he continued to hold her hand softly. "Jane," she said again. "You need to rest too, y'know."

"These last couple of nights, I haven't slept better."

She realised what he was implying. She had also slept incredibly the last couple of nights, because she'd been in Jane's arms. Her cheeks started to warm up.

"You're blushing," he said stated fondly.

"Shut up, Jane," she muttered, letting go of his hand.

Silence ensued for a few minutes, before Lisbon broke it again. "What're you thinking?" she asked.

"Just what Lorelei said," he answered. "She said I need to play his game, or else you're going to get hurt,"

"Jane," she said slowly. 'We've already been over this. What the hell is his game?"

"I've been playing it for ten years," he told her hoarsely. "We're playing cat and mouse. I've been trying to catch him. He doesn't want to kill me, though. He just wants to make sure I never forget him. Red John is ensuring that I never recover. If… if he hurts you, or worse," he stammered, "He knows that I'll never recover. So, he threatens to do just that. He wants me as an ally more than anything, so if he threatens to hurt you, he knows I'll be more likely to agree."

"Patrick," she whispered. "Don't do anything stupid on my account,"

"Teresa, I've already promised. Nothing stupid," he put a hand up, as though it would seal his words.

She shook her head. "You better keep that promise, Jane,"

He smirked. "When have I not kept a promise, Lisbon?" he asked.

"Don't make me answer that."

Jane chuckled to himself as Lisbon sank further into her seat, relieved that they were back to their usual banter.

"What's worrying you, Lisbon?"

She looked up at him, thankful he still had his eyes on the road. "I don't know Jane. Just, these past few days have been crazy, and I haven't had the time to fully comprehend what's going on,"

He breathed out slowly. "You remember what I told you when we were stuck in that shipping container a couple of years back?"

She nodded. "Yeah. Why?"

"Well, that's what's important Lisbon. I'm always gonna save you, whether you like it or not."

She shook her head, smiling. "I'm pretty sure I've told you before that it's my job to save you, Jane."

He grinned in her direction. "Well, you've done that. Now it's my turn."

"How about I cook you some eggs? We'll call it even, and we catch Red John together," she suggested.

He laughed. A rare occurrence for Jane, and Lisbon had to smile in response. "Y'know, Lisbon, I think I might just have to take you up on that offer."

She stayed silent, realising what he was implying. Jane wanted to live. His life wouldn't end with his quest and Red John's demise. She smiled slightly.

"Were there any drugs detectable in Cho's system?" Jane asked.

"What?" she asked, confused at the relevance of the question.

"Were drugs detectable in his system?" he asked again.

She looked at him. "The doctors said there wasn't anything detectable," she said quietly. "But they said there was a small needle mark, on his back, giving them probable cause to believe he was drugged."

He licked his lips. "Hm."

"You don't think Red John's some mad scientist who's making enhanced drugs, do you?"

"You can be quite sarcastic when you're nervous, can't you, Lisbon?" he asked. "But, no, I don't think that. He probably just has someone working for him."

"How are we gonna catch this guy?" she whispered.

"I dunno, Lisbon. But we will,"

She ghost of a smile reached her lips. "You sound so confident, Jane,"

"Because I'm not losing someone else," he stated.

She nodded. "Jane, you can't keep secrets this time. None. Ok?"

"Fine, Lisbon,"

She knew he would keep things from her, just like he had in the past, but didn't say anything.

The rest of the drive was quiet, with Lisbon staring out the passenger window at the quickly passing landscape. When his car stopped at Lisbon's home, she sat there quietly, before shaking her head slightly. "D'you want to come in?" she finally asked him.

Jane grinned. "Why Lisbon, I thought you'd never ask."

"You're sleeping on the couch tonight, though," she told him.

He followed her inside. The woman could change in an instant, but he knew it was a matter of pride, and refusal to have someone else do something for her for a change.

"Well, good night," she said.

He nodded. "You too,"

She headed up stairs.

Jane didn't sleep. With his head swimming with thoughts of Red John and protecting Lisbon, he couldn't. He didn't want to either. Jane was worried about her, and after the incident with Cho, he worried even more. He slipped the familiar black notebook out of his pocket and opened it up. It was time.

**A/N: so sorry again, I hope you liked it! A review is much appreciated. **


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